Platinum Hearts
by E-Loveless
Summary: It was Valentine's Day, and Lucy was finally going to tell Gajeel that she was in love with him…if only she could stop feeling as queasy as Natsu trapped on a train. ONESHOT: romance, comedy, awkward young love, bad language, and lots of fluff!


Platinum Hearts

Lucy/Gajeel Valentine's Day Oneshot

AN: Small Valentine's Day oneshot that I'd written most of in February and only now forced myself to finish and post it. Fluffy, romantic, awkward, and with some bad language. :P Hope you enjoy it!

Contains romance, awkwardness of young love, bad language, some comedy, and lots of fluff. :P

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><p><em>What the hell am I doing?<em>

Lucy thought as she was standing outside the guild, hands gripping tightly at the red, heart-shaped box in her hand. She felt like her heart was going to crash out of her chest with how fast the little organ was beating, and she grit her teeth against the nausea that was swimming through her veins and boiling in her stomach. It was ridiculous that she was feeling this anxious about giving a damn valentine when she'd faced dark mages of astronomically bad proportions (such as pre-Nirvana Jellal – pun intended), been transported to another world, and survived a death blast from an apocalyptic dragon of legend.

Well, to be fair to herself, she'd been surrounded by her friends and Fairy Tail family for all of these battles. They'd done it together, as a team and a guild; she'd received courage and support from Natsu, Erza, Gray, and Happy, and had given as good as she got to them in return. This was not something they could do as a team (though it'd be hilarious to see Natsu give _him_ a valentine). No, it had to be her. Just Lucy.

She was finally going to tell Gajeel Redfox that she was in love with him.

It'd been a long time coming, to be honest. Since Lisanna had come back from Edolas, Natsu and Happy have alternated going on missions with her, Lucy, and Team Natsu as a whole, which had left Lucy some time to either do missions on her own or work with other teams. She didn't begrudge the slowly kindling romance between Natsu and Lisanna; rather, she was a bit relieved that she finally had the apartment to herself most of the time, even if it did get lonely sometimes. She'd even managed to save up a nice cache of money from the jobs she'd gone on with other people; it was rather amazing how lucrative going on jobs could be when half of the reward did not have to be returned due to damages rendered.

With Natsu away on jobs with Lisanna for days at a time and Gray and Erza usually working on S-class jobs together, Lucy was able to hang out and become friends with more people in the guild. She'd been on missions with Team Shadow Gear, with Cana and Levy, with Wendy and Carla. She'd even been invited on a few missions with the Thunder God tribe, which had been both harrowing and exciting.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, she'd been dragged on a mission with Gajeel and Pantherlily. He'd stormed up to her in the guild one day, said "It's my turn, Bunny Girl!", and hauled her out to the train station, ignoring her when she protested. She could have never guessed how well they worked together as a team; even Pantherlily had seemed shocked. They'd decimated the dark guild they'd been contracted to destroy within half an hour, and there had been at least sixty-five mages present during their attack. Afterwards, the Iron Dragon slayer had simply ruffled her hair, made his characteristic 'gihi,' and had rounded up the unconscious bodies, leaving Lucy to watch him, dumbfounded at what had just happened in the battle and the odd but heartwarming display of affection.

The following week when she had been moseying listlessly about the guild, he'd done nearly the exact same thing, except with considerably less resistance on her part. Before long, they'd created a habit of it, where every other week she and Gajeel would be heading out on missions together, fighting dark guilds, retrieving lost items, and killing monsters.

It'd all happened without her consciously realizing it, but after several weeks, Lucy had fallen and fallen _hard_. As in, iron hard.

They'd argued at first; still did, really. He'd call her: 'Bunny Girl,' 'Demon Rack,' 'Blondie.' She'd call him: 'Iron Ass,' 'Scrap-metal Eating Idiot,' and 'Dumbass Dragon Slayer.' Gajeel had seemed like a rough, unsociable, brutish, rude, and lazy dick at first (still was, really), but after they'd gotten over the awkward phase, she'd discovered they actually had a similar sense of humor. He'd yell at her when she did something stupid or when one of her spirits did something well meaning but completely off base. She'd smack him whenever he did something perverted, like 'gihi'-ing whenever she lost her clothes in battle. He'd saved her from danger almost as often as Natsu had. It had been…_fun_.

And now, she would probably ruin everything by getting her _feelings_ all over him.

After Lucy had realized she'd begun having less than 'sort of sexually-charged rivalry/friendship' feelings, she'd tried to stop the warm and fuzzy emotions welling up inside of her. She'd tried to distance herself by going on less missions with the grumpy slayer, but he'd had none of it. He'd actually seemed to enjoy dragging her after him, screaming obscenities and hurling random shit at his back.

Once that tactic had failed, Lucy had tried to simply wait it out. Gajeel was at least ninety-five percent metal dragon slayer, three percent ill-tempered jackass, and two percent heart of gold and reluctantly gooey center; it was possible she'd grow out of her crush on him. Or so she'd thought.

_Damn him and his endearingly grumpy attitude and his stupid random acts of Lucy-brand heroism and his smoking hot body_! Even when he acted like an impossible, incorrigible jerk, she'd found him unbelievable attractive! Lucy had even caught herself drooling during a mission when they'd had to fight a giant sea eel that had been terrorizing a beach near Magnolia, and Gajeel had taken his shirt off because of the heat. She hadn't even had the will to chastise herself afterwards.

At a particularly vulnerable moment involving a large tub of chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream, a bottle of wine, and her two closest girlfriends, Lucy had finally admitted to herself that she wasn't going to be getting over this any time soon. That night, she'd cried a bit just for the heck of it and had told Levy and Cana about the metal-studded heartbreak lying in wait in her future.

She'd been afraid to tell Levy about her budding feelings for the Iron Dragon slayer, despite the fact that she'd been in a long-term relationship with Jet for a couple years by then. Lucy had not known what to expect, but she'd been dumbfounded when Levy had thrown her hands up in the air and said "About time, Lu-chan!" Cana had said much the same, though with a somewhat salacious filter.

A meteor-sized weight had lifted off her shoulders at hearing Levy's support. The script mage had chastised her for not telling her sooner but had said she also understood why Lucy had hesitated. The night had followed with much more drinking, ice cream, and laughter, and it had reminded Lucy of how blessed she was to have such fantastic friends.

Friends who were now waiting for her inside the guild to give her moral support. Because it was Valentine's Day. And she was going to give a valentine and confess to Gajeel.

_Oh, god. I think I finally understand how Natsu feels on trains._

Lucy took a few deep breaths, her hands putting the special valentine back into her satchel. She'd gone all out today in her outfit. She wore a deep red blouse with a scooped neckline that cinched perfectly at her waist and her favorite pair of tight blue jeans. Since it was still a bit cold, she'd paired it with a cropped leather jacket that molded to her large chest and helped showcase it. On her feet, she wore tall-heeled leather boots. Lucy had even had Cancer do her hair, which now hung around her shoulders in a long, shimmering blond sheet. Her brown satchel hung from her right shoulder, heavy with the other valentines she'd brought for the guild and now Gajeel's. She'd dressed to impress, and she had certainly impressed every man she'd walked by on her way to the guild, if the number of accidents they'd made were any indication.

_I can do this. I can do this_! She'd settled things with herself. She'd settled things with Levy. Now, she just had to settle things with Gajeel, whatever the outcome might be. She couldn't keep going on like this, trying to hide all of her feelings and becoming a danger to people around her due to her Gajeel-induced clumsiness.

Lucy stepped forward and opened the guild doors, immediately smiling at the burst of sound and chaos that doing so always accompanied. Mirajane and the other girls of the guild had decorated the main room with pink and red ribbons that hung in bright curtains along the ceiling. Magic bubbles in the shape of hearts floated around the room as well, popping at random times and letting out a quick waft of chocolate and flowers. The entire room was so pink and festive and girly that Lucy wondered for a moment if she would even have a chance to talk with Gajeel; the Iron Dragon slayer would probably take one look at the room and leave.

"Lu-chan!"

Lucy turned to see Levy and Cana sitting at the bar while Mirajane leaned over the counter to talk with them. She headed over, giving them a bright, nervous smile, and took the seat next to Levy.

"Good morning! Happy Valentine's Day!" she said cheerfully, trying to swallow down the nerves.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too, Lu-chan!" The script mage grinned, her petite face flushed and happy. She was wearing an adorable orange dress with small white flowers along the bodice and small white ballet flats. She was going on a date with Jet later, which would explain why she was so excited. "You'll never guess who Cana is going on a date with tonight!"

Lucy looked over at Cana curiously. "A date? With who?" She leaned closer to whisper her guess. "With Laxus?!"

"Yeah," she said shortly, smiling smugly around the lip of her wine jug. "He tracked me down an hour ago and told me we'd be having dinner tonight and to dress 'nicely.'" She scoffed, looking fondly exasperated over at the Lightning Dragon slayer sitting mulishly in the corner of the room. "As if what I wear everyday isn't good enough for him. Stuck up, full of himself ass."

"Now, now, Cana," Mirajane said placatingly. "I heard from Freed that Laxus was planning on taking you to that new restaurant in town, La Fleur."

"What?" Cana asked, looking shocked. "He's taking me there?! But I heard that one glass of wine there is like ten thousand jewels!" She turned to look at Laxus's slumped form in the corner before turning back to them. "Jeez! What's he thinking, going somewhere so expensive? Guess I'll have to put some effort in after all."

Lucy and Levy laughed at her grumbling, knowing that meant Cana was secretly pleased about the dinner with Laxus. They'd had an 'on again off again' relationship for awhile now (mainly due to Laxus's crazy rampage and then his subsequent exile, but they'd all forgiven him mostly, so…), but it seemed like the surly Lightning Dragon slayer was finally ready to commit.

"I'm happy for you, Cana," Lucy said softly, causing the card mage to blush.

"Thanks, Lucy," she replied, smiling back at the other girl. "Now we just need to get you your Dragon slayer, and we'll all be set!"

"Shhh! Cana!" Lucy lurched forward, waving her hands over Cana's mouth and looking around the guild frantically, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Gajeel hadn't arrived yet. "Not so loud!"

"Are you ready, Lu-chan?" Levy asked seriously, one of her small hands lightly squeezing the celestial spirit mage's shoulder. "You're going to do it today, right?"

"Yeah, if I don't keel over and die from all the stress," Lucy sighed, leaning her head against the bar and giving a grateful whimper when Mirajane began to pet her head sympathetically.

"Come on now! Where's the fearless and brave Lucy Heartfilia that we know and love?" Cana shouted, giving her friend a few hearty pats on the back. "It'll be fine, you'll see! The guy's crazy about you!...I think."

Levy and Mirajane glared at the card mage at that, while Lucy seemed to sink a bit more in her seat.

"What?" Cana cried out defensively. "He's a really hard read! It could go either way! Shit, I mean—Sorry, Lucy."

"It's okay, Cana," she replied softly, looking up at them with blank brown eyes. "I think I'll go hand out the other valentines now." She handed them their valentines, little heart-shape boxes with chocolate strawberries inside, before floating away like a disheartened ghost.

"Nice going, Cana," Levy huffed, giving her another glare before hopping off the stool and after her friend whose courage was visibly fading.

"Shut up! I didn't mean to…man, I'll have to make it up to her later," Cana groaned, knocking her head against the bar in self-punishment.

Mirajane only gave a small sniff of approval at that, popping one of the chocolate covered strawberries in her mouth and walking away, making sure to send a saucy wink at the green-haired mage sitting next to Laxus in the corner of the room.

About an hour or so later, Lucy's spirits were up again. She'd passed out most of her little valentines, happy to see the excitement and thanks on her friends' faces and to talk with them. Levy had hung by her side for the majority of the hour, which had attracted Jet as well, so by the time they finished making their rounds, the three of them made it back to the bar, out of breath but buzzing with fun.

"Lucy," Mirajane said quietly, her eyes shooting meaningfully into a corner of the room.

Still smiling, Lucy followed her gaze and saw a certain dark-headed dragon slayer at his usual table in the back corner of the room, his booted feet propped up on the table and a heavy scowl on his face. He'd not dressed any differently for the occasion, but none of the guys had, so Lucy figured it was just universal male abhorrence of Valentine's day. Or just laziness. Probably laziness.

Red eyes suddenly met with hers from across the room, and Lucy whipped her head back around to stare wide-eyed and nervous at Mirajane and Levy. Her heart leaped in her chest again, and she had a moment of panic wondering if he could hear it. Hopefully the craziness of the room would shield it.

She looked down at the table for a moment, her eyes catching on the corner of Gajeel's valentine in her bag, before her hands tightened into fists. She gathered her courage and looked up at the two female mages who were watching her with some concern.

"You can do this, Lu-chan," Levy said, her fists raised in encouragement. "We'll be here, whatever happens. Good luck!"

"Yes!" Mirajane agreed, her eyes shining with warmth.

"Good luck, Lucy," Jet said as well, and she smiled at him in gratitude.

"Thanks, you guys," She said determinedly. "Here I go."

She made her way across the room, curving through the crowd and avoiding any stray punches or kicks that flew by as small fights broke out amongst the mages. It wouldn't be Fairy Tail without a few brawls going on. She was starting to sweat a bit from the heat of the room and her own anxiety as she grew closer to Gajeel's table. She could see Pantherlily sitting on the table next to the Iron Dragon slayer's boots, sipping on a kiwi milkshake. When she finally reached the table, she took a moment to look at him.

Gajeel looked especially grumpy for some unknown reason. His hard, angular face was scowling at the dancing frivolity going on behind the blonde, his red eyes glaring out from the shaded corner booth. He was wearing his normal black vest and white pants, the clothing molding tightly to his thickly muscled chest and powerful thighs. His tanned and scarred arms were the same as ever, the black guild mark emblazoned on his bicep, and yet the sight still made her stomach muscles clench in anticipation.

"Good afternoon, Gajeel, Lily," she said simply, giving him a small smile, which he didn't return.

"Hey, Bunny girl," he replied in a surly voice, looking away from her to the crowd behind.

"Good afternoon, Lucy-san," Pantherlily said and gave Lucy a smile from around his striped bendy straw.

Lucy stood there for a moment, feeling increasingly awkward, before plopping down in the seat across from the Iron Dragon slayer. She looked at them silently before deciding that some small talk would help the atmosphere. It would help her, at least.

"So, got any plans today?" she asked politely.

Gajeel scoffed. "Tch. Demon Woman over there won't let anyone leave on a mission until all this Valentine's shit is over. As if anyone gives a fuck."

"Ah, I see," she murmured noncommittally, shooting him a look. "So, you're here, marinating in confetti and pheromones because…?"

"It's more interesting here than the apartment," the iron dragon slayer grumbled. "Why? You not want me here or somethin'?" His red eyes blinked at her lazily from under his furrowed brow.

"Do I ever?" Lucy asked sarcastically, though her voice had little of its usual sass. She swore her ears were turning red.

"Don't be like that, Bunny girl. I know a lie when I smell one." Gajeel smirked at her, his gloved hand reaching up to tap at his nose pointedly.

At his words, Lucy had another small moment of panic: _Holy stars in the night sky_, he could smell when people lied! What about attraction?! Couldn't he smell that too?! They'd gone on numerous missions together; surely he would have said something if he'd smelled her feelings for him…right? Unless he didn't feel the same and didn't want to ruin whatever they had going on right now. Or to save himself from the awkwardness.

_Oh God, I feel sick_.

"So," Gajeel continued lowly, his red eyes watching her, "What are you doin' here? Don't you have some pansy little date to be hopping off to?"

"No, no, no date," she said a bit hurriedly, flushing at the nervous edge to her voice. Lucy normally had no trouble talking with men; it was only Gajeel that ever had her examining every little thing she said and agonizing over it. "I thought I'd just spend this year's Valentine's Day with the guild and some girlfriends." _If this confession ends the mortifying way I think it's going to_, she thought grimly.

He raised his eyebrows at her but chose not to comment, turning away to look out onto the crowd again, who were now dancing wildly to a fast-paced love song. They sat in silence for a few moments more, Lucy wondering at the oddness of the atmosphere around them. She realized that she almost never sat here with Gajeel, as Levy used to do; they were almost always on missions together, moving, running, battling.

If he didn't feel the same way about her…if she was about to get rejected…she would really miss those times, probably more than she had when Natsu had begun to spend more time with Lisanna. Gajeel was older than Natsu, more mature with an acerbic and perverted humor that had her laughing hours after she'd initially heard him. He wasn't nearly as naïve as the fire dragon slayer either, though he'd kept the sexually charged jokes about her body relatively tame (just enough that she wasn't sure if he was simply being a pervert or actually interested in her).

But she was through with being so indecisive, shy, and so _damn_ timid around him. Lucy Heartfilia was a strong, confident woman who could shove her feelings into a man's face with the best of them. If he didn't like her as well, then that was just that. At least she'll have tried. She'd simply leave and wallow in the pity of her non-single friends, eat a heck of a lot of chocolate, and then get over it. (And probably avoid Gajeel for a few weeks…months.)

"Gajeel," she said quietly, turning to him with determination even if it felt like her face was on fire. His faintly scowling face turned to look at her, his eyes widening at the look on her face. "I…I have something for you."

She reached down into her bag, willing her heart to slow down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lily look at her with a bit of alarm, the cat straightening out of his relaxed slouch. Lucy held the heart shaped package in her hand for a moment before sliding it across the table, looking determinedly away from the man across from her.

There was a moment of silence as Gajeel simply looked at the package and Lucy looked anywhere but at it, before he let out an amused snort.

"Don't get your fluffy tail in a bunch, Bunny girl," he said in a low rumble, using his boot to push the package back over to her.

"What?" Lucy asked in confusion, giving him an indignant look.

"I don't like chocolate or any of those other wimpy ass things that girls give out on days like this," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Gajeel! Just—just take it, would you!"

His right eye opened again to stare at her suspiciously. Jeez, Lucy hadn't expected this much resistance from him just for _accepting_ the damn valentine. "Why? What's the big deal, huh?"

"Because—" She choked on the words, her face flushing hotly. "Because I got them for you. It's called manners, you piece of scrap metal!"

Gajeel lurched forward over the table to get in her face, his shit-eating grin clearly showing his eagerness for one of their customary verbal battles. Lucy struggled to hide the flush of heat that washed through her body at the sight of it. "Like I give a shit about your flowery '_manners_,' Blondie. If I don't want your fuckin' pansy chocolates, I don't have to fuckin' eat them!"

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn all the time?! It's like it would kill you to pass the freaking salt at the dinner table, _even if it's sitting right next to you_!"

"Why can't you get your own damn salt?! I shouldn't have to move away from my food just because you're too fuckin' lazy to stretch your arm for that shit!"

"Oh, you can't take _one second_ away from shoveling food into your mouth like a starving wildebeest to move a one pound—"

"Like it's too much fuckin' effort for you to lift that perky little ass of yours out of your seat to reach the two feet across the table to—"

"It's the principle of the thing! It's literally the _least_ you could do to help someone else out, you metal studded son of a bitch! Especially if you didn't even cook the dinner!"

"It's not like you ever cook dinner for me anyway, so why are we even having this bat shit argument?!"

"_Because you won't just accept the stupid, fucking valentine that I made for you_!"

A pause broke through their shouting match as both panted for breath. Lucy was sure her face was bright red; the heat coming off her skin reminded her of the occasional close calls when Natsu would swing his dragon roar a little too close to her on missions. At least Gajeel was clearly affected too, if the slight flush in his neck and cheeks were any indication. The scowl on his face indicated aggravation, but Lucy could tell he was fighting a smirk by the way his eyes brightened and the corner of his mouth quivered minutely. She was struggling against a grin of her own.

A few of the guild members close by had turned to watch their quibbling with amused curiosity, but shouting matches were so commonplace in Fairy Tail that they had shrugged it off and returned to their dancing. Pantherlily had relaxed at the familiar direction they had taken, though his eyes kept darting interestedly to the valentine laying innocently nearby on the table.

Lucy took a few calming breaths, knowing she'd never get her chance to have a serious conversation with him if they kept up their usual bickering. She could never resist rising to the challenge she saw in that smug smirk though. "Gajeel," she began, attempting to control her frustration, "if you could just act like a mature adult that has some basic level of societal awareness and propriety for a couple minutes, I'd really appreciate it."

He scoffed, throwing his heavy body back onto the booth seats and watching her with irritation. One studded eyebrow twitched.

"Now, when a female mage makes an offering, usually of a confectionary nature, on a day such as this the polite thing to do would be to accept the package with grace and thanks—"

"I don't need your lectures, Bunny girl," Gajeel growled, rolling his eyes at her gesticulating finger. "If it's so damn important to you, then fine. I'll take the stupid thing."

"Thanks," Lucy retorted sarcastically, feeling disappointment well up in her at the abysmal turn her plan had taken. Though, she probably should have expected it, given Gajeel's naturally surly attitude. She continued to watch him nervously.

"What?" He finally barked after several awkward minutes of this.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Lucy asked exasperatedly.

"Hell no, I just had lunch. Why would I want to eat some frilly chocolates on a full stomach?!"

Lucy took a moment to attempt to control the unbelievably strong urge to cry at the frustration of dealing with this man. Why the hell did she have to fall in love with _this_ dragon slayer?!

She took a deep sigh before standing up from her seat, all the nerves and anticipation and excitement of the morning drained from the sheer difficulty of the past ten minutes.

"Fine, Gajeel, you win," she said, making only a half-hearted attempt at shielding her disappointment. "Just…I guess come find me after you've eaten them. I wasn't really sure how they would turn out, because…well, anyway. See you later, metal head."

Lucy walked briskly toward the door, knowing either Levy or Mirajane would try to follow her. She wasn't sure she really wanted them too, though their comforting words were always appreciated. Her plans for confessing her feelings to Gajeel through the delivering of a specially prepared valentine had popped and deflated like a balloon, leaving only the rubbery husk of her courage to content herself with. If she'd just come out and said, "_I'm in love with you, you metal studded son of a bitch, and this valentine is an expression of my feelings, so fucking take it already_!" Lucy probably would not be so confused about where they stood, relationship wise. She just wasn't so exasperated yet with her own feelings and Gajeel's stubbornness (and every other gorgeously rugged and infuriating inch of him) to full on explode at him like that. As it was, probably nothing had changed.

After leaving the guild, she continued to mosey through the cheerful streets of Magnolia, her thoughts wondering morosely. Finally, she plopped herself down on a bench at the park, though the lovey-dovey couples having adorable picnics or leisurely strolls did nothing for her mood.

So her plan had gone a bit pear-shaped. At least there hadn't been an open rejection. Sure, this situation was confusing and taxing as all hell, but there was always another opportunity tomorrow! ...Or next week, to give her some more time to lick her wounds a bit. Hopefully, once he saw what was inside the valentine, he'd at least realize that her feelings for him might be more than 'sexually charged competitive partnership.'

Lucy looked wistfully up at the clear blue sky for a moment before sighing ruefully. She stood up, preparing to head home, when a rough hand grasped her arm tightly.

"What is a beautiful lady like you doing sitting on this bench all by yourself?" A nasally voice asked from her left, and she turned to see two men standing too close for comfort. The one who had grabbed her arm was very tall and thin with sickly skin and small beady eyes, while the other man with the nasally voice was about average height with dark hair and a large nose. Coupled with their matching uni-brows, their appearance was both smarmy and decidedly unattractive.

Lucy tried to jerk her arm out from the tall one's grip, but he proved surprisingly strong. "Let me go," she said lowly, not all that frightened by the two men but wary nonetheless.

"No one wanted to take you for a ride? Well, we'll be sure to oblige, we will, we will!" the nasal voiced man continued, giving a jackal-like cackle. Lucy winced at the grating sound so close to her ears. "Why don't we go have some fun, eh? My boy here would love to get to know you better."

The grip on her arm tightened, and when Lucy looked into the eyes of the owner of that hand she could see a lust in his eyes that made her sick.

"You can let me go, or I can kick your ass," she growled, feeling her advantage at the brief surprise in their faces. Lucy hadn't spent months fighting alongside Gajeel and not picked up some of his dauntlessness; it'd take more than these two snakes to make her cow down.

"Oho! The little lady has a foul mouth about her, doesn't she? Why don't you show her a taste of your magic, my boy? That should cool some of her temper."

"I already am," his partner replied quietly.

Lucy started, preparing to jerk her arm out of his grip, when she realized she couldn't move. _Body Restriction Magic_.

_Damn it!_

She forced herself to calm down and ignored the annoying snickering sound coming from the nasally voiced one. The trick to counteracting these magics was keeping your head and waiting for the right moment. The caster himself did not appear all that strong, which meant that Lucy's magic could probably overpower the restriction magic. It was also likely that Loke or Virgo would open their own gates to help her, if that failed. Then, if—

"_What the hell do you think you're doing, bastards_?"

If she could've breathed a sigh of relief, she would have at the familiar growl that rumbled through the air. Gajeel had appeared on the scene, and if the threat in his rough voice and the thunderous scowl on his face were any indication, he was _pissed_.

"We're just having a little chat, that's all," the talkative one sneered at Gajeel, clearly oblivious to the promise of violence in the dragon slayer's red eyes. "Why don't you move along, eh? Nothin' to see here."

"Oh, is that it?" There was such sarcastic derision in Gajeel's voice that Lucy wondered if he intended to play with the two would-be Romeos, like a particularly vicious cat with two incredibly stupid mice. He met her eyes from his position on the lowest branch of a nearby tree, his arms folded over his large chest, his stance wide and relaxed. She rolled her eyes at the dramatic entrance he'd made as well as for the situation she'd found herself in.

"Yeah," the other guy replied quietly, his other hand grabbing Lucy's free arm and holding both tightly. To her horror, both of his palms had begun to sweat.

Gajeel grinned sharply at her, gave a small "gihi," and launched himself from the branch, the power of the jump causing the wood to splinter and break. In mid-air, his clenched fist transformed into a gleaming iron club before smashing into the gut of the guy trapping Lucy with his magic. At the same moment, his left leg swung around and transformed into another iron club and sent the other goon flying into the distance.

Lucy gave a small sigh as she watched Gajeel smoothly straighten from his battle stance and raised an eyebrow at him once he turned around to face her.

Gajeel smirked and said, "Got what was coming to them."

"Still seems like overkill," Lucy mumbled, giving a dismissive look at the guy clutching his stomach on the ground and moaning weakly.

"That sounds like a complaint coming outta your mouth, Bunny girl," Gajeel growled and rounded on her, a vein twitching in his forehead in irritation.

"Right, right, sorry," Lucy said, making sure she sounded as insincere and uninterested as possible. "Thank you _so much_ for saving me from those two idiots, Gajeel. You're my hero, and they shall write songs about you for ages to come."

"Ungrateful little—" Gajeel grumbled but grinned despite himself once Lucy started to laugh. He reached over and messed with her hair, grinning wider at her indignant squawks.

After she had finished fixing her hair, Lucy looked up a Gajeel with a warm smile. "Thanks, metal head."

He watched her for a moment, seeming unusually flustered. "Yeah, well…I've got your back, Blondie." He blushed a bit at that, quickly turning his back on the other mage and brushing his hair out of his face restlessly.

Lucy was both surprised and pleased at that admonition. Maybe her interest in Gajeel wasn't so hopeless after all. "So, what are you doing here?"

He didn't answer her for a moment, choosing to lean against the tree he'd appeared on before. They both watched in silence as the remaining goon from earlier had limped away, before turning back to each other. Gajeel looked almost nervous as he kicked around the small rocks on the ground with his large boot.

"Thanks."

"What?" Lucy blinked at him, his voice so quiet she almost missed the reply.

"For…the valentine," he mumbled again, determinedly not meeting her gaze. His face reddened a bit. "Even if it was pansy ass shit."

"Oh…well, you're welcome, Gajeel." She blushed a bit herself, her hands twisting together nervously. "...Did you like them?"

Gajeel watched her without replying for a moment before stepping closer, his expression unreadable. "That must've cost you quite a bit, Bunny girl. A lot more than the chocolates you handed out to the rest of 'em."

Lucy shifted under that look, wondering what he was thinking. "Yes, but…it was worth it." _You were worth it_. "And a lot of fun to make too."

Gajeel was only a couple feet away from her now, which had her pulse racing. He was looking down at her with a gentle intensity that she had never seen before, his scarlet eyes soft and focused. "You're going to have to say it, Bunny girl. I'm no good with this subtle feelings shit."

Right. She wasn't feeling too good at it either but…in for a penny….

"I'm in love with you, Gajeel."

She felt at once freed from a large burden and paralyzed by nerves. Finally, she'd just _said_ it. To him. No innuendoes, no subtle glances or telling blushes. There was absolutely no way he could misunderstand that statement. And if he did find some impossible way to do so, she would give him a Lucy kick that would have him crying at the mention of her for _weeks_-

"Took ya long enough, Bunny girl," Gajeel chuckled, smirking. He leaned forward, removing the space between them and kissed her soundly, his hands wrapping around her waist and neck to keep her close.

It took Lucy a moment to process before she began responding eagerly, her hands reaching up to cup his face and pull him closer. Her body felt like it was on fire as their mouths danced hotly. His tongue traced around her bottom lip teasingly before she opened up for him, a small moan escaping her throat as they brushed against one another lightly.

Lucy broke away from his tempting mouth to gasp a few breaths, beaming happily into his smirking, smug face. She pressed against him again, their noses brushing together sweetly.

"Gihi."

* * *

><p>"That darn Gajeel," Levy cursed quietly, watching the door. "He can be such an oblivious idiot sometimes."<p>

Mirajane and Jet hummed in agreement, the barmaid cleaning glasses behind the counter while the speed mage brushed a hand soothingly down his girlfriend's back. Panther Lily sat on the counter next to them, looking at the box of valentines that Gajeel had left behind. The iron dragon slayer had opened the box, taken one dumbfounded look at what was inside, before taking off after Lucy before Lily could even think to ask him about it.

"What are the chances that he followed her?" Levy continued to look worried about her friend, her hand tapping against the book in front of her. She was much too distracted to read though.

"I'd say they are pretty good, actually," Mira answered thoughtfully. "His attention has been completely on her since he and Lily came into the guild, and he left only a few minutes after her. It's what happens after he finds her that might be…."

"Not so good," Jet finished for her, giving Levy a wry smile.

She sighed, before turning and giving a curious look at the valentine. "What did she put in there, anyway? Lu-chan told me she'd had to think outside the box since Gajeel doesn't like chocolate."

Lily shrugged and opened the box in his lap.

Their mouths all dropped open. Nestled into the velvet cushion of the box were several small, white-silver colored hearts with another decorative heart etched into the surface.

"Are _those_ made of what I think they're made of?!"

"Holy cow, Lu-chan went all out, huh?"

"These must be worth a small fortune!"

"Jeez, Lucy…."

They were all silent for a moment, looking at the package in shock, before Levy grinned.

"I think it's time we went on our date, Jet. Lu-chan and Gajeel will be just fine."

"I hope they have Lucy's eyes…."

"Mira!"

* * *

><p>AN: Hope you liked it! Tell me what you think!<p> 


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